During an initial scrimmage free of major injury Saturday, University of Central Arkansas football coach Clint Conque saw some gaps being filled by newcomers and some solid efforts by veterans.
"There were a lot of things to feel good about, particularly on offense, where we've
been struggling with continuity," Conque said. "We kept if pretty vanilla today, but I
saw some excellent performances by some skill kids and I thought the offensive line protected pretty well today."
Conque said the most pleasant surprise was the continued emergence of freshman running back Terence Bobo of Atkins into the prime backfield rotation.
"He and (Anthony) Blackmon (freshman from Bentonville) both ran hard," Conque said. "Bobo gives us some size (6-foot-0, 198 pounds) but also has great balance. But a big thing he has the ability to make himself small on inside runs in the way Kentrel Rogers (former UCA all-conference back) did. What you didn't see today is he also has excellent hands."
The scrimmage at Estes Stadium on an unseasonably cool afternoon was very controlled with the ball placed at various spots on the field with breaks for kicking game work.
Quarterback Nathan Brown passed 18 yards to tight end Marquez Branson for the only touchdown. That score was set up by a 10-yard spinning, power run by Leonard Ceasar on fourth and six.
"He ran through a TOK Opeloye (linebacker) tackle on that run and almost broke it," Conque noted. "That's not good from a defensive end, but it was a good power run on the offensive end. Leonard has gotten bigger and stronger and he's still fast."
Freshman place-kicker Eddie Carmona booted a 26-yard field goal for the only other score. Transfer Jon Beard, who joined the UCA program in the spring, missed on a 28-yard attempt. Carmona was about a foot short and just wide on a 48-yard attempt.
"It's obvious Carmona has a big leg and his kicking was pretty solid all day," Conque said. "I thought Jon Beard punted well. We have a lot of options on returns. Anthony Gambles did a good job fielding punts. He's replacing an All-American (Tristan Jackson) and so far doing a great job doing so."
Conque praised linebacker James Lancaster and tackle Taylor Scott for some solid hits on defense. Defensive end Larry Hart had a sack to highlight the defensive play.
Conque also praised wide receiver James Lovett, another newcomer, for his pass catching, particularly with most of the leading receivers from last year nursing injuries.
"We didn't do anything extraordinary with our play-calling on either offense or defense," Conque said. "Today, we just wanted to see the guys line up and play football. And the main thing was we stayed healthy. And we should start getting some players back this week."
The Bears will resume two-a-days Monday with the final scrimmage of the preseason Wednesday night. The Bears will start preparations early this week for their season-opener Aug. 28 against Henderson State.
